Constipation refers to irregular bowel movement that is either infrequent or difficult to pass. As a prevalent condition, it impacts 14% of the world’s population. In addition to physiological distress, constipation is associated with poor patient satisfaction with treatment, impairment of quality of life, and reduced productivity.

A recent retrospective study aimed to elucidate possible contributing factors to constipation, in particular dietary fiber and liquid intake. Measures were recorded for subject stool consistency and dietary consumption with intake of fiber and liquids. Univariate analysis for factors associated with constipation was performed. The criteria for statistical significance was a P-value of <0.05.

Figure 1. The prevalence of constipation by age and gender. Total gender difference was significant with P<0.001. Dichotomization of age into >60 and <60 years of age showed no significant differences, P>0.05.

Figure 2. Constipation prevalence in relation to dietary moisture intake. Quartile differences were significant, P<0.05.

Table 1. Dietary fiber intake among men and women with and without constipation. P-values were derived from two-sample proportion tests for individual quartiles.

 

Quartile of Fiber Intake	Men (n = 3918)		Women (n = 4257)
	No Constipation (%)	Constipation (%)	No Constipation (%)	Constipation (%)
Lowest Quartile (<10.1 g/day)	17.3	30.5	27.1	32.8
Middle Lower Quartile (10.1 to 14.5 g/day)	22.3	19.4	26.4	28.2
Middle Upper Quartile (14.5 to 20.1 g/day)	27.1	26.7	27.2	24.3
Highest Quartile (>20.1 g/day)	33.3	23.4	19.4	14.7

Table 2. Univariate analysis of factors associated with constipation. Results from Body mass index and vigorous physical activity were found not to be statistically significant.

 

Overall Constipation Prevalence	Men (n = 4586)		Women (n = 4787)
	Number	(%)	Number	(%)
	221	4.0	518	10.2
Race/Ethnicity	4586		4787
Hispanic	50	6.3	89	9.4
Non-Hispanic White	88	4.3	243	9.9
Non-Hispanic Black	55	4.0	126	12.6
Education	4584		4785
Less than high school	94	5.4	152	12.2
High school or GED	59	5.4	151	12.1
More than high school	68	2.8	214	8.8
Family Poverty Income Ratio	4586		4787
<2	121	5.9	547	11.4
≥2	100	3.2	493	10.3
Body Mass Index	4556		4756
<25.0	68	5.2	188	11.4
25.0-29.9	85	3.7	161	11.1
≥30	67	3.5	166	8.3
Self-rated health	4586		4787
Excellent/very good/good	151	3.7	377	9.7
Fair/poor	70	5.9	141	12.7
Vigorous Physical Activity	4585		4787
No	143	4.6	220	10.5
Yes	78	3.4	117	9.6

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